1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of adjusting the brightness of a photographic print in a photographic printer in which a visible image is recorded on a color photosensitive material on the basis of three color image signals obtained by reading out an image recorded on a color film.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6(1994)-233052, a photographic printer is brown in which red, green and blue image signals, each made up of image signal components representing densities of the color of respective picture elements, are obtained by reading out an image recorded on a color photographic film. Red, green and blue light beams are modulated according to the image signals and a color image is recorded on a color photosensitive material by scanning the photosensitive material with the modulated light beams.
In such a photographic printer, the brightness of a finished print can be easily adjusted by simply carrying out a linear conversion of the image signals. Conventionally, when the brightness of the print is adjusted, a mean density of the image represented by the three color image signals is calculated and the brightness of the print is determined so that the mean density becomes a predetermined printing density (e.g., 0.7 in the optical density).
However when the brightness of a print is determined on the basis of the mean density of the image, there arises a problem that the print cannot be finished in a desirable brightness in the case where the density distribution on the object is statistically inclined or the main object greatly differs from the background in brightness. For example, in the case of an image including therein a large white sign-board, the print is finished dark, and in the case of an image where a main object is in counter light, the main object is finished dark.